Material provided by the Metropolitan Police Service to schools on the rights of young people in relation to stop and search

Siân Berry: Following up on a request made at the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee on 29 November 2018, could you provide copies of all materials that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) provides to schools to educate young people about their rights in relation to stop and search carried out under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994?

The Mayor: My recently published Action Plan for transparency, accountability and trust in policing aims to improve relationships between communities and the police, this includes young people and has a specific focus on the scrutiny and application of stop and search.

Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVRO) Consultation

Susan Hall: In question, 2020/3726 you said that you were responding to the government consultation, please can you provide a copy of your response?

The Mayor: My staff are working on our response to the proposed introduction of Serious Violence Reduction Orders and intend to write to the Home Secretary in due course to express our views in detail.
For an overview of my position on this issue please see Mayor’s Question 2020/3429 https://www.london.gov.uk/questions/2020/3429

The Coronavirus Regulations (4)

Peter Whittle: To ask the Mayor are there any circumstances under which you can see officers from the Metropolitan Police entering private houses and breaking up family Christmas gatherings, for the purpose of enforcing the Coronavirus Regulations?

The Mayor: It is undoubtedly going to be an extremely difficult Christmas for many Londoners and their families. And it makes me angry that the huge failures of the Government to get a grip of this virus made further restrictions necessary, including prohibiting household mixing.
Of course, I really hope that through Londoners continuing to follow the COVID rules and by the Government finally getting a grip on test and trace we see a decrease in cases and hospital admissions over the coming weeks.
But whatever the restrictions over Christmas, it is important that everyone continues to follow the rules, however difficult this would be for all of us. We simply can’t see our ICUs and hospitals overwhelmed with a surge in demand over the winter.
I know that Londoners will show their heroism as they always do in supporting those most vulnerable and isolated over the Christmas, looking out for their friends and neighbours who may need support more than ever.

Complaints received by the Metropolitan Police Service regarding stop and search (1)

Siân Berry: Following up on a request for information made during the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee on 6 February 2019, could you provide data on the total number of complaints that have been received by the Metropolitan Police Service (either directly or via the IOPC) against police officers in respect of treatment during stop and search during each of the past five years? Could you include the same data for the number of such complaints which have been withdrawn after complainants have reviewed body worn video footage?

The Mayor: The MPS has received a total of 3,603 complaints against officers in respect of treatment during stop and search over the last 5 years. These complaints may not solely relate to the use of stop and search powers alone but could also include behaviour during (or following) a stop and search. For example, the use of force or communication by the officer.
The breakdown for the last 5 years is as follows. For context, the percentage of all S&S across each reporting period resulting in a complaint is also provided.
Period
Number of S&S Complaints
% S&S resulting in complaint
Oct 2015-Sep 2016
541
0.35%
Oct 2016-Sep 2017
525
0.40%
Oct 2017-Sep 2018
481
0.34%
Oct 2018-Sep 2019
699
0.28%
Oct 2019-Sep 2020
1357
0.44%
The reforms to the police complaints system came online in February 2020 and this improved the reporting framework for complaint recording. Accordingly, an increase in the number of recorded complaints relating to stop and search was expected and has been observed.
Where Body Worn Video (BWV) is identified in a complaint it is always viewed as part of the investigation. BWV footage is not routinely viewed by complainants but they are entitled to view any material relied upon in a complaint investigation. The extent to which BWV was reviewed during a complaint investigation is not something that can be automatically searched via MPS systems. The MPS is therefore unable to confirm how many complaints were withdrawn after complainant review of BWV footage. However, the MPS states that the number of complaints withdrawn overall are very small.

The Mayor: 3318_Complaints received by the Met  regarding stop and search 1_EXTRA (1).xlsx